Both recreational and competitive cycling have grown in popularity over the past several years. Along with this explosive growth, the demand for bicycle accessories has consequently risen. One bicycle accessory deemed necessary for cycling long distances, more especially, for competitive cycling, is a bottle allowing a cyclist to carry liquids such as water to replenish fluids lost through long periods of or strenuous riding.
Several liquid delivery systems for cyclists are well known in the prior art. These systems include a removable bottle and cage mounted on a bicycle frame member, a reservoir adapted for attachment to a bicycle saddle rails or seat post, a reservoir carried on a bicycle rider's back with a tube extending in front of the rider's face, and several pressurized and non-pressurized frame member liquid delivery systems.
The first of these major types of bottles and bottle holders or cages has a structure designed to selectively receive and retain replaceable bottles of liquid. Once a bottle is consumed by the rider, it may be replaced by a new, full bottle. The simplest of this first type of holder has at least two generally U-shaped sections, between which the replaceable water bottle is nested.
The second type of bottle and holder utilizes a permanent tank forming a removable part of the structure. The tank is filled from an external source and, when depleted, is refilled. Such arrangements may have a tube leading from the tank with a distal end positioned for easy access by a rider's mouth with no intervention by a rider's hand required.
Although the heretofore known liquid delivery systems have sufficed to provide liquid transport and delivery for cyclists, many of the needs of enthusiasts, elite cyclists, mountain bicyclists, triathletes, and others seeking an aerodynamic design have not been addressed. These cyclists would benefit from a system that allows easy and continuous access to fluids without taking their hands off the handlebars or taking their eyes away from the road. It is desirable to provide the ability to refill the reservoir from another liquid source while riding, and to provide enhanced aerodynamic performance due to the design and placement of the reservoir. Given the cost of many of today's bicycles and the use of carbon fiber frames, it is desirable to provide a mounting system that is aerodynamic and that when attached or detached does not leave a mark on the frame.
In addition, bicycle frames are no longer constructed of just cylindrical tubes. Several of today's elite bicycles have aerodynamically and structurally optimized frame members with varying cross sectional shapes.
Therefore, there exists a need for a system that easily mounts on several different types of bicycles.